No bids for Air India so far, will not extend deadline - aviation secretary

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FILE PHOTO: An Air India aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government has not received any bids so far for its stake in state-run carrier Air India, the civil aviation secretary told TV channels, a day before the formal bidding process closes.

The government will not extend the deadline for submissions of interest in Air India, R.N. Choubey said on Wednesday. The deadline for receiving bids has already been extended once to May 31 from May 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, keen to sell the loss-making, debt-ridden airline, finalised plans in late March to divest a 76 percent stake and offload about $5.1 billion (3.8 billion pounds) of its debt.